About 8:45 p.m., the victim was walking near the Merrill College writing center on the north side of the campus when the suspect grabbed her, UCSC Chief of Police Nader Oweis said.

The victim fought off the suspect before she was able to return to her dorm. She suffered minor injuries but was not taken to the hospital.

The student contacted UCSC police about an hour after the incident, said Guy Lasnier, a spokesman for the university.

The suspect fled the area in an unknown direction. He is described as a clean-shaven white male in his 20s with a large build and dark hair partially covering his eyes. He was last seen wearing dark clothes and has a possible facial injury.

An text alert about the incident was sent out to the UCSC community via the CruzAlert system around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Police would not say where the victim was coming from or going to, citing that the incident is being investigated.

"Police are investigating this and are taking this seriously and issued an alert because it rose to that level," Lasnier said. "They felt that it was important to put out an alert."

University police and safety officers will conduct extra patrols.

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UCSC officials said anyone who sees the suspect should call 911.

USCS police ask anyone with information about the incident to call UCSC police at 831-459-2231, the anonymous tip line at 831-459-3847 or online at police.ucsc.edu.